Device for locating and raising sunken vessels.



J. C. PAULSON.

DEVICE FOR LOCATING AND RAISING SUN KEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 1915.

1 ,1 89,864. Patented July 4, 1916.

I fly '2, "to! r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C: PAULSON, 0F-WINTHIROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF.TO ROBERT M. MAcKA'Y, OF DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR LOGATING AND RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN C. PAULSON, a' subject of King Gustaf of Sweden, residing at Winthrop, county of Suifolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Locating and Raising Sunken Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for 10- cating and raising sunken vessels, and particularly to a device for locating and raming sunken submarines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which may be conveniently arranged upon a submarine or other vessel and which will in the event of the sinking of the vessel permit the re lease of a float or other buoyant marker,

whereby to indicate the position of the sunken ship, and whereby a grappling de-' vice may be guided to a fixed part on the sunken vessel to raise the vessel.

In carrying out my invention I arrange in a suitably covered compartment a buoyant marker and connect it by a cable provided with a suitable guiding ortion to .a hook or other engaging device xed to a rigid part of the vessel. The connection between the float and the hook is rovi'ded with a device which insures that t e ring or equivalent grappling device carried by the salvaging vessel is positively guided over the hook in the operation of raising the vessel. The compartment construction itself is such as to maintain all the parts in their normal positions in heavy seas and at the same time enable the float to be readily released in the event of the vessel sinking.

These and various other features which will appear more particularly hereinafter,

are secured in the device of the present invention, the construction and operation of which is fully disclosed in the following specification. In the drawings accompanying the specification I have shown a construction which well illustrates the principles of my invention.

Throughout this specification and drawings like reference numerals are correspondingly applied, and in these drawings: Figure 1 is a view illustrating the manner of use of my device, the deck of the sunken vessel being partially broken out and the compartment being shown in section to bet- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed November 6, 1915. Serial No. 59,911.

ter illustrate the structural details, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the compartment in which the marking and grappling devices are located.

I have indicated at 1 the deck of the submarine or other vessel V which isrepresented in Fig. l as having sunk to the bottom. The deck is suitably recessed to receive a compartment 2 with the cover 3 thereof disposed substantially flush with the floor of the deck. The compartment 2 has a partit1on 4 providing two smaller compartments 5 and-6. W

Freely mounted in the compartment 5 so as to be readily displaceable therefrom is a float or other buoyant member 7, having an eye or equivalent device 8 connected with one end of a cable 9 coiled in the compartment 6. Also arranged in said compartment 5 and connected rigidly with some stanch part of the vessel V is a hook or other engaging device 10. The free end of the hook 10 is connected with the free end of the cable 9. In the embodiment shown, this connection consists of a rod 11 hinged at 11 to the curved end 12 of hook l0 and swiveled at 13 to the free end of the cable 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The rod '11 is curved at- 12 as shown to conform to the curved end 12 of the hook and this curved portion exend when the float is released and the rod swings up on its pivot 11 as shown in dotted line, Fig. 2. i

In the operation of the device, the cover 3 is displaced in the event of the vessel sinking. This may be effected either by means of a compressed air blast admittedto the compartment 5 through the pipe 14: shown in Fig. 2' or should this device be out of order or fail the covermay be started by means of the levers 15, which are pivoted to engage the cover from below and are arranged for manual operation, preferably from within the vessel. Upon displacement of the cover, the float member 7 is released and as it rises to the surface the cable 9 is uncoiled and pays out, swinging the rod 11 up to the vertical position shown in Fig. 1

and in dotted lines, Fig. 2. If desired, thepling device 17 carried by the cable 18 of the hoisting apparatus 19 of said vessel is applied to the cable 9, the float 7 being first removed. The cable 9 guides the line 18 (see dotted line showing of Fig. 1) to and under the hook 10, so that said hook may be readily located and engaged and the vessel V raised. In this action the rigid vertically positioned rod 11 of the cable acts to present the ring 17 directly to and under the hook 10. As the ring 17 slides down the cable, it passes over the upright portion 11 of the rod and descending is guided thereby and by the curved portions 12 -42 directly under the curved end 12 of the hook, as best shown in full lines, Fig. l, which represents the engaged final position of the ring. The rod 11 therefore insures ready and proper pressentation of the ring to the hook, and overcomes the difiiculties due to the tendency of the light cable to drift, of engaging the ring with the hook where the cable is connected in the usual manner to the hook.

Various modifications in the form and construction of my device may obviously be resorted to, if within the limits of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a compartment having a grappling member therein, a float and a cable connecting said float and grappling member and having a relatively rigid portion operatively connected with said grappling member.

2. In a device of the class described, a compartment having a grappling member and a float therein, and a cable connecting said float and grappling member, and having a relatively rigid portion hingedly connected with said grappling member and arranged for vertical presentation to a, grappling device guided on said cable in the operation of the device.

3. In a device of the class described, a rigid grappling member, a float displaceably mounted relative thereto, a cable connected at one end to said float, and a rod connected to the other end of the cable and hinged to 1,1ee,eee

eration of the device.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination with a vessel having a covered compartment therein, means for displacing cover, a grappling member rigidly mounted in said compartment, and a float displaceably mounted therein, a cable connected at one end to said float, and a rod swiveled to the other end of said cable and hinged to the free end of the grappling member and arranged for Vertical presentation to a grappling device guided on said cable upon displacement of said float.

5. In a device of the class described, a rigid grappling member and a cable having a rigid portion pivotally connected to said member, said rigid portion having one end substantially conforming to and overlying the free end of said grappling member in the operation of the device.

6. In a device of the class described, a hook, a float displaceably mounted relative thereto, a cable connected to said float, and a rod connected to said cable and having a straight portion and a curved portion, said curved portion pivotally connected tosaid hook and arranged to overlie and substantially conform to the curved end thereof in the operation of the device.

7. In a device of the class described, a hook, a float and a cable connecting said hook and float, said cable having a relatively straight rigid portion and said rigid portion terminating in a curved portion extending in both directions from said straight portion and substantially conforming to the curved end of the hook, one of said extensions pivotally connected with the curved end of the book.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. PAIJLSON- Witnesses:

VICTORIA Lownmv, AGNES V. OCommm. 

